This Filipino American Life

Pursuing a career in academia can be both rewarding and challenging. It often requires a significant amount of dedication, hard work, and resilience. From navigating graduate school to being on the job market to balancing research, teaching, and service, scholars face a range of unique experiences and pressures. For Filipino Americans, the added layers of...

Tell us if you’ve heard this one: “What size is your panty? You’re not large.. you’re size H… HUSKY” We can still remember listening to this joke in college (before youtube), in an MP3 file that circulated the dorms.  Never had we heard a stand up comic that sounded like our uncle. Listening to Rex...

In this episode the TFAL crew talks about make out parties in the 1990s. Just Kidding! In this episode the TFAL crew talks about scams, the criminal kind. The crew talks about their recollection of prominent Filipino American scams that happened in Los Angeles like the infamous Jun Reodica who was the leader of a...

As Filipinos, comedy is a significant part of our lives.  Not only is it a source of entertainment, comedy is a way of survival – a salve during the lowest points of our lives.  It’s no wonder why Filipinos find humor in anything.  In these modern times, performance comedy can come in many forms –...

Hilaw Pa 5.0!  Once again it’s a new year. With a new year comes new ideas. In this 5th iteration of Hilaw Pa, the TFAL crew once again come up with new random “half-baked” ideas related to Filipino Americans that should be out there in the world. Listen as we discuss a solution to California’s...

The TFAL Crew comes together for a festivus miracle episode! What is festivus? Take a listen and hear our take on the Seinfeld inspired holiday where we air out our grievances aka give our hot takes for 2022. Do you need to air out your grievances? What are your hot takes for 2022? Let us...

Somehow it’s November and the holidays are upon us. In this episode the TFAL crew has a conversation about our favorite Thanksgiving foods, traditions, etc, etc, etc. What are you thankful for this year? What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at...

“Everybody’s looking for Blue’s Clues (and You!) Come on in, come on in It’s Blue’s Clues (and You!)” Some of us remember growing up watching Blue’s Clues, the show that changed children’s programming in a significant way.  Nickelodeon introduced us to Steven and his animated dog, Blue, as they found and followed up on clues. ...

Happy Filipino American HISTORY Month!  How did you celebrate?  Why did you celebrate? The past month here in Southern California was filled with numerous events and moments where Filipino and Filipino American culture and heritage were celebrated, but only a handful seemed to spotlight and focus on Filipino American History itself.  And while it may...

It’s been a while since the TFAL crew came together for an episode without a special guest.  In this episode, we update each other of what’s going on with our lives.  Join Elaine, Kat, Joe, and Producer Mike on this very casual episode.  Of course, we can not discuss Ryan’s new status as a married...

In this episode, the TFAL Crew have a conversation with Celeste Perez, Co-Founder and CEO of Droplet, a health and wellness company creating adaptogen infused beverages. The TFAL crew learns what are adaptogens, what it’s like to start a company at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and how holistic nutrition can be incorporated into...

Community colleges are the biggest bang for our buck, and yet there are so many Filipino Americans out there who do not respect such schools.  With the higher education landscape rapidly changing, the notion of what constitutes a “good school” should be reconsidered.  Moreover, there are some schools that provide a more relevant education for...

FUTBOL IS THIS FILIPINO AMERICAN LIFE!! What is the most popular sport in the world? You guessed it!  It’s football! And no, not that kind of football with the oddly shaped ball that’s thrown around with hands mostly and occasionally kicked. We’re talking about futbol, or more commonly known to TFAL (and maybe you) as...

In this TFAL episode, we review the much-anticipated film Easter Sunday, the first Filipino American film produced and distributed by a major movie studio. Three out of the four of us were lucky enough to catch an early screening of the film at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood thanks to Gold House, the Coalition...

If you follow TFAL on IG, a little over a month ago you may have caught a quick story post about Bayan Surf Club / DJ Javier‘s collabo with Vans, and if you were really paying attention, you might have been able to catch the very small window of time where the first fruits of...

What does it mean to celebrate Philippine Independence Day? Why do we Filipino Americans celebrate it?  What’s the difference between June 12 and July 4 and do people really understand its history? Is the Philippines really “independent”? Yes, we know we’re on Filipino time with this one, but on this TFAL episode, we dive into...

In this episode of TFAL, Elaine talks with author and artist Kenneth Tan. This conversation was recorded at a pre-Mother’s Day book event at Belcanto Books in Long Beach, CA. In this conversation we learn about Kenneth’s journey with his Lola and what inspired his beautiful coffee table memoir. Since this conversation was recorded at...

This episode rounds out the TFAL crew’s trip to the midwest. On this episode we talk to Francis Almeda, a Chicago based entrepreneur who owns Side Practice Coffee, Reppin Pins, and Filipinoadz. Francis explains what it was like to open a coffee shop in the middle of a pandemic. He also enlightens the crew on...

One of the great things about traveling to a different city like Chicago aside from eating the wonderful food and visiting a Michael Jordan monument, is meeting people who have done tremendous work uplifting the Filipino American community. First, we got a chance to talk to Ginger Leopoldo to talk about what it’s like to...

The TFAL Crew is in Chicago!  Over the next three episodes, TFAL brings you to the capitol of the Midwest!  We will talk to some of the city’s community leaders and small business owners and discuss what the MIdwest Filipino American experience is all about. In this introductory episode, the TFAL crew discusses traveling for...

In less than two weeks, Filipinos across the Philippines and dual citizens around the world will go to the polls to elect a new president.  This is a very important election for the Philippines and will affect those of us in the diaspora tremendously.  We at TFAL want to make sure you all know the...

In the year 2000 MTVs Real World took the audience to New Orleans and introduced Filipino Americans to Melissa Howard. Over 20 years later Paramount Plus is giving Gen Xers the opportunity to revisit classic Real World casts. In 2021 Real World New York and Los Angeles opened the door to these Homecoming reunions. These...

Surprise, surprise, TFAL talks about their favorite subject – FOOD – in this episode! Specifically food criticism. The team talks about the rise of Yelp reviews to which one of us wanted to be a food critic? Could you guess who that might be? If you suspect a TFAL food appreciator, you might be correct!...

Monuments, statues, street signs, plaques, memorials, murals.  Our communities are filled with tributes to the people, places, and things that hold some sort of significance to the people who live there, and this holds true in past and present Filipino Communities throughout America.  Jose Rizal Bridge, Larry Itliong Village, and the upcoming gateway arch in...

Oh SPAM…the delectable, delicious soft pink slab of pork meat so ubiquitous to Filipino and Filipino American weekend breakfast meals. You love it fried, crispy, maybe with a sprinkle of sugar, served with a warm heap of garlic rice and egg. It tickles our taste buds and tummies with such delight, but also clogs our...